Friday, 22 April 2011

So my plan is to gain 6" of length in 2011. I started out with about bsl (bra strap length) hair. I just did a length check today and have gained about 1.5". I have a lot of new growth so I figure by my next relaxer, I should see even more length. So far, it looks like almost 2 inches in the last 4 months. However for some reason I have some thinning in the center of the back of my hair. I'm not sure what caused it but I had to trim about 2 inches off. I probably need to trim off another inch, but I'll hold off for a while. I guess I am coasting to gain 4" instead of 6" this year :-(

Thursday, 21 April 2011

So I recently decided to join a hair growth challenge. The goal is to grow 6 inches in 12months. This is entirely possible because as is the case with most people, my hair grows at a rate of 1/2 an inch every month. Everyone has their own approach but mine is to use protective styles for the better part of the year. Growing 6inches in 12months leaves no room for trims so I have to be really good to my ends. See my regimen below:

Your hair is constantly growing. For those with relaxers, the fact that you have to touch up your roots every 6-8weeks tells you something: your hair is growing. So why has your hair been the same length for the past year (or more)?.. Breakage. Breakage from hair manipulation: heat, improper combing, poor detangling etc. This is were protective styles come in. Protective styles are styles that require very little manipulation and generally keep the hair protected from the elements (wind/air tends to dry out hair, friction against clothes fabric etc). Examples of protective styles are buns, cornrows/twists, wigs etc.

Protective styling is key if you are trying to grow your hair in the shortest amount of time.

I have recently purchased 2 lace wigs which I will be wearing as a protective style.

Light Yaki lace wig from www.theweaveplace.com

See the videos below:

I will be doing another video shortly on how I apply my lace wigs and how I condition and treat my hair while it is under the wig...

I mentioned in my previous post that hair grows. Thats pretty much all it does. The big question isn't so much how to get your hair to grow as it is how to prevent breakage so that you retain the length that you have. While based on my research, improper combing is the biggest culprit, not far behind improper combing is... heat.

Too many of us succumb to the fiery plates of the flat iron. The truth is regardless of whether the plates are made ceramic/tourmaline/aluminum, regardless of whether you saturate your strands with heat protectants, the fact remains that frequently subjecting your hair to heat in excess of 250F will thwart your attempt at retaining length and achieve growth. There are better ways to get straight styles:

Roller set/doobie:
1. Wash and condition your hair
2. Apply the leave in of your choice.
3. Roll you hair in rollers of your choice (for a straight style, the bigger the rollers the better)
4. Sit under a hooded dryer
5. Once dry, take out the rollers, comb your hair and then wrap it around your head as shown below:

Sunday, 17 April 2011

Ok, first of all, your hair grows. At least, in most cases it does. For those with relaxers, the fact that you have to touch up your roots every 6-8weeks tells you something: your hair is growing. So why has your hair been the same length for the past year (or more)?.. Breakage. There's a whole bunch of things that we (women with coarse/kinky/nappy/type 4a/b hair) do to our hair that prevents it from "growing" but the biggest offender by leaps and bounds is...improper combing.

Tips for proper combing:

- Use a wide toothed comb.

This is the comb I use. I would also advise that you use a nail file to file down any jagged seams on the comb that could potentially rip your hair.

- If your hair is wet, put some conditioner in it to give it some slip. If the conditioner does not soften your hair, make is slippery and easy for the comb to glide through then you should probably change your conditioner. Most drug store brands will work nicely though.

Comb your hair while it is thoroughly saturated with conditioner.

If your hair is dry, part your hair in sections and comb starting from the tips and working down to the roots detangling gently as you work your way down.

I often see women rake combs and brushes through their hair, remove the broken strands caught in the bristles and toss it with such indifference. Well, lets do the math, if you break 20 strands of hair (and I am being conservative) every time you comb your hair and you comb your hair 3 times a day, how many strands will you lose in one month, 6months, 1 year. It all counts. I challenge you to do this: inspect your comb everytime you comb your hair and ensure that there are NO broken strands. Normal shedding is fine and you can identify shedded strands by inspecting the strand, if there is a tiny white bulb at the end, then its normal healthy shedding and you are off the hook